One man's poll: Race question opens up minefield

SIMON COLLINS continues his series on what really matters to people up and down the country. Today: Ethnic issues


Invercargill accountant Yvonne Hansford wants a "non-racist" party to vote for in the July 27 election.

"I'd like to do away with the Maori rugby team - or bring in a Pakeha rugby team," she says. "I don't like lower standards for some races getting into tertiary education."

Like so many New Zealanders, Hansford is part-Maori. But she is fed up with the interminable process in which more than 870 claims have now been lodged with the Waitangi Tribunal seeking compensation for Maori land or resources lost since 1840.

"It's gone on long enough," she says. "We need an end to it."

She wants to vote for a non-racist party, but in her view there is none.

New Zealanders pride ourselves on not being racist. We have interbred to an extraordinary degree. Ask any Pakeha about ethnic issues and the chances are they have Maori partners, inlaws, cousins, grandchildren or Maori ancestors.

Marion, a 46-year-old Rotorua clerical worker of mixed ancestry, asked about Treaty of Waitangi claims, said: "I'm Te Arawa, but I don't say I have any rights to that.

"It's unfair that I can go both ways. To expect money from something I have had no input into just makes a mockery of the process."

Yet to ask people about these issues is to unlock a phenomenal depth of anguish buried beneath our official "non-racist" society. New Zealanders feel resentful, afraid, often angry and confused - but feel it is not something we can talk about in polite society.

"Don't start me on that," said John Brothers, a 40-year-old clerk from Te Atatu. "We are all against Maoris taking our land back. If they came up to me, I'd tell them where to go."

"Don't get me started," echoed Denise Hansen, 41, a mother in Karamea on the South Island's West Coast. "They have their rights, but I think some are being a bit greedy."

On Saturday, the Herald reported the first results of interviews with just over 600 New Zealanders from near North Cape to Invercargill about the state of the country as we prepare to vote.

On an ethnic basis, the results were disturbing. While 49 per cent of ethnic Europeans, 56 per cent of Pacific Islanders and 76 per cent of Asians and others rated the state of the nation as "good" or better, only 33 per cent of Maori agreed.

When asked reasons for their ratings, most people mentioned economic issues, education, crime, health and political bickering. Treaty claims and immigration came next, both cited by about 6 per cent of those questioned.

Europeans were more likely to complain about treaty claims (8 per cent) than were Asians and others (4 per cent), Maori (1 per cent) or Pacific Islanders (zero).

The most common complaint was that the treaty process is creating a culture of racially based handouts.

"No one comes and helps me out," said Kaitaia milling contractor David Dow, 37.

"It's not fair," said Paul and Renee Auckram, a young couple with a new baby in Hawkes Bay who depend on Paul's earnings as a labourer. "We are not into the whole handout thing. You work for what you get."

Ken and Cynthia Donnell of Waimauku, interviewed at the Mystery Creek Fieldays, voiced another common view: "The money that has been paid hasn't gone where it should have. A few have got richer, the rest have stayed the same."

Ominously for the Government, there is a widespread view along the lines expressed by Wanganui engineer Lyall Mayes: "I think it's over now. The seven major tribes have been given handouts, haven't they? If we haven't finished, we've got pretty close to the end." (In fact, only 14 of the 870-plus claims lodged with the tribunal have been settled so far).

On immigration, the ethnic pattern was reversed: 13 per cent of Pacific Islanders and 10 per cent of Maori complained about immigrants, seeing them as competitors for jobs and houses, compared with only 4 per cent of both Europeans and Asians and others.

Immigration was also a much bigger concern in Auckland (10 per cent) than in the rest of the North Island (5 per cent) or the South Island (1 per cent).

"People are really struggling for jobs," said Rachelle Davidson, 30, a student liaison officer at a Manukau private training institute.

"The Government has brought refugees over here. There is all this stuff about how we should help these other countries. We should sort out our own backyard first. We still have homeless people and needs."

Even if they do not take jobs from locals, immigrants are then seen as a cost to the taxpayer.

"We don't want all the immigrants coming in and going on the dole either," said Beachlands marine fitter Dean Pollok.

"The infrastructure can't keep up with it," said Palmerston North retailer Peter Crawford. "The education system is getting overloaded with Asian immigrants, no matter how good they are economically."

And yes, at places like Avondale's Sunday market, where stallholder Christine Gregory estimates that only 10 per cent of the people are white, there is open cultural fear.

"I think people can only take so many people comfortably. We are well over the limit. It's becoming quite frightening," she said.

The Herald street interviews asked three other questions on ethnic issues.

First: "The Labour/Alliance Government has had a policy of 'closing the gaps' between rich and poor, and particularly between the different ethnic groups, by measures such as paying more to schools in poorer areas and relatively less to schools in richer areas. The National Party and Act say this policy is discriminatory and unfair. What do you think?"

The policy was supported widely, although often uncertainly - by 65 per cent of Europeans, 71 per cent of Asians and others, 72 per cent of Maori and 76 per cent of Pacific Islanders.

Ann Moore, a teacher at Kaitaia Primary School in the low-income Decile 2 category, said: "If we didn't get that decile loading we would not be able to fund ourselves at all. There are schools in Auckland that can charge hundreds of dollars a year in school fees. We charge $10 and families struggle to meet that."

But Kaitaia painter Darrel Hopkins disagreed: "The kids that are achieving end up with less. They are the ones that are trying and doing the hardest and they are going to get knocked down. You can throw all the money you like at the low achievers and it's not going to make any difference."

Others resented a long list of special privileges that Maori are seen to have through closing the gaps policies: scholarships, apprenticeships, preferential entry to some tertiary courses, higher funding for tertiary courses if they happen to have Maori managers, lower fees at Maori preschools, free diabetes tests, Maori schools, Maori news on TV.

Ann Routhan of Hokitika cited two girls who went on a badminton trip.

"The Maori girl got her money granted to her from the Maori Department. The white girl had to earn her money to go by having sales, etc. That's not right."

Christchurch grandmother Jill Saunders said: "I have two Maori grandchildren, but I can't see why they should have any advantages over my other grandchildren."

Second, people were asked: "Many Maori groups have lodged claims with the Waitangi Tribunal seeking compensation for the loss of their land and resources, and some have been paid compensation. What do you think of this process?"

Among European New Zealanders, the response was split: 27 per cent said continue the process, 22 per cent said end it soon, and 51 per cent said stop it immediately.

Among Maori, the results were the opposite: 57 per cent to continue, 18 per cent to end it soon and 25 per cent to stop now. Pacific Islanders staunchly backed their Maori cousins, with 71 per cent choosing to either continue or end the process soon. The comparable figure for Asians and others was 59 per cent.

Finally, people were asked: "Some Maori people advocate tino rangatiratanga, or Maori self-government. Some advocate constitutional changes such as a separate Maori House of Parliament. What do you think of these ideas?"

All non-Maori groups opposed Maori self-government emphatically with words like "rubbish" and "ludicrous" - 83 per cent of Pacific Islanders, 91 per cent of Europeans and 100 per cent of the 26 Asians and others who expressed an opinion.

Even among Maori, 57 per cent opposed it. The other 43 per cent had their own definitions of tino rangatiratanga, which will be reported tomorrow.

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